The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft
Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/79766
A FEAST OF NEW TECHNOLOGY televisions, and are now finding their way aboard boats. Also becoming common is touchscreen technology. Most of the major marine electronics manufacturers offer touchscreen models in their ranges. 'Interconnectivity' is another buzzword you'll hear when talking to the many marine electronics distributors represented at the show, along with 'seamless' and 'integrated': it's all about getting more functionality from your equipment. Digital sonar is now almost (but not quite) old hat, as is digital radar, but both technologies offer huge improvements in performance over the older sets installed in most New Zealand craft. Better software, more user-friendly interfaces and additional functions, most at no extra cost in real terms, are some of the benefits of new generation marine electronics. Look out for such technologies as Simrad's 'wind back' function, new fish ID features from Lowrance and Furuno, sounder and chart plotter overlay, affordable AIS, night-vision cameras and so much more. A s visitors walk around the Auckland On Water Boat Show this year they will be struck not only by superb examples of new and used boats, but also by the amount and diversity of new technology on display. Technology marches inexorably onwards and this is as true for the marine industry as it is for any other field, perhaps more so. Boat owners are reaping the benefits of the ongoing research and development, innovation and breakthrough technology, that is evident in every corner of the marine industry. This boat show is a great place to catch up with the latest developments, whether contemplating a new boat, repowering/ refitting your existing boat, replacing old or worn out gear, or if you're simply curious about what's new. While it is major technological breakthroughs that capture the limelight in any field, the marine industry is as much about evolutionary development. Much of the new technology on show in Auckland is the result of ongoing R&D using proven, successful technology as a base. That's as true for marine paints, sail cloth, wet weather gear and yacht design, as it is for marine electronics, fishing tackle or outboard motor technology. Advances in electronics are coming thick and fast with boaters benefiting from advances in other branches of electronics. Examples include high-definition colour multi-function displays and sunlight viewable from all angles. Such screens are already commonplace in consumer electronics such as high-end Perhaps even more striking than the slough of new products on show is the explosion in smartphone and tablet apps allowing users to interface with their onboard electronics to undertake a huge range of functions. All of the major marine electronics companies either already offer, or are working on, products compatible with smartphone/tablets using Bluetooth. New technology at the show isn't restricted to marine electronics of course, it's spread throughout the show, from new boats on the water and displayed in the hardstand areas, to chandlery, machinery, marine engines, solar panels, handheld watermakers and products of every description. Amongst the onsite seminars, is a must attend one day event for boat builders and designers using the latest in 3D CAD design technology. For many Professional Skipper readers it will be advances in marine engine technology that will attract the interest, from the latest in computer managed systems to the tried and proven mechanical engines, while advances in power to weight still allow the engineer to tinker with and cuddle his beast with heaps of TLC. Many companies are launching new products at the Auckland On-Water Boat Show and many are offering special 'show only' deals. There's no better place in New Zealand to see the latest marine technology all in one place than the Auckland On Water Boat Show 2012 at Viaduct Harbour from September 27 to September 30. A unique anticorrosive clear coat that lasts CLEAR SURFACE PROTECTION Nyalic® is a Registered Trademark of HBI Inc. TUFF PREPTM , RIGHT RINSETM 60 Professional Skipper September/October 2012 NZ/EUROPE • www.nyalic.co.nz AUSTRALIA • www.nyalic.com.au USA • www.nyalic.com Ph 0800 692 542 , BUILDING PREPTM and SIMPLE PREPTM are all trademarks of HBI Inc. © 2002 HBI Inc. www.nyalic.com VIP.S87